# Accident 20260405006239A: Cessna 172M, Lakeand, FL, April 5, 2026 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: April 5, 2026, 00:07 local time - Place: Lakeand, FL - Airport: Lakeland Linder International - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 27.9904° N, 82.0321° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.9904&lon=-82.0321&mi=10 - Aircraft: N61972, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N61972) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 172M (registry code 2072418, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172m) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172M - Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Private pilot - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA26LA159](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA26LA159) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260405006239A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. CFII AND I, WERE PERFORMING THE 10 LANDINGS VFR AT NIGHT AT A TOWERED AIRPORT FOR THE COMMERCIAL REQUIREMENT FOR 61.129. ON THE 8TH LANDING, WE TOUCHED DOWN. I PUT THE FLAP LEVER UP AND WAITED SEVERAL SECONDS FOR WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE FLAPS FULLY RETRACTING. AFTER I PUT THE FLAP LEVER BACK TO NEUTRAL, I THEN PROCEEDED TO PUSH IN THE THROTTLE FULLY AND ROTATED AT THE VR SPEED. I IMMEDIATELY FELT A SLIGHT NOSE-HIGH PITCH ATTITUDE, WHICH DIDN’T SEEM TERRIBLE AT FIRST BUT NOT SUPER UNUSUAL, SO I PUSHED THE NOSE FORWARD. THE PITCH ATTITUDE KEPT GETTING WORSE, AND I NOTICED THE FLAPS WERE STILL FULLY EXTENDED ACCORDING TO THE FLAP POSITION INDICATOR. I IMMEDIATELY FLIPPED THE FLAP SWITCH UP AGAIN TO RETRACT THEM BUT DIDN’T SEE ANY MOVEMENT ON THE INDICATOR, WHICH TOLD ME THAT THE FLAPS WERE NOT WORKING. CFI TRIED THE SAME THING WITH NO SUCCESS. HE THEN CHECKED THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND SAID NONE WERE POPPED. AS HE WAS CHECKING, I NOTICED THE AIR SPEED WAS QUICKLY FADING, AND WE WERE IN STALL SPEED TERRITORY, SO I PUSHED FORWARD ON THE YOKE EVEN HARDER, WITH BOTH HANDS AND FULL STRENGTH. I BELIEVE ERIK WAS DOING THE SAME. EVENTUALLY, WE GOT THE NOSE DOWN, AND CFI PULLED THE THROTTLE TO IDLE. CFI THEN PROCEEDED TO MAKE A MAYDAY CALL CLAIMING ENGINE FAILURE. BY THE TIME WE GOT THE NOSE DOWN AND THE CALL WAS MADE, WE WERE ALREADY OVER THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY WITH NOTHING BUT DARKNESS AND TREES UP AHEAD. WE WERE LOW AND SLOW, UNABLE TO CLIMB OR TURN AROUND. CFI SPOTTED THE AMAZON AIR TARMAC AREA AND THE TAXIWAY ADJACENT TO RUNWAY 28, SO WE PERFORMED A SHALLOW BANK TO THE RIGHT. AS WE APPROACHED THE GROUND, WE BOTH LET OFF THE YOKE SLIGHTLY TO NOT BOUNCE THE AIRCRAFT, BUT THAT HAPPENED ANYWAY. WE BOUNCED ONCE, THEN THE SECOND TIME WE BOUNCED OFF A GRASSY DITCH BEFORE FLIPPING OVER ONTO THE TARMAC AREA. CFI ASKED IF I WAS GOOD, AND I STATED I WAS. WE BOTH UNBUCKLED AND EXITED VIA THE DOORS AND WAITED FOR FIRE AND RESCUE. I EVENTUALLY GOT TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL AND HAD AN X-RAY. I BELIEVE THIS ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY A FAILED FLAP MOTOR DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE FLAPS FAILED TO EXTEND WHEN WE LANDED AT KSAV EARLIER THAT DAY, SO WE PERFORMED A NO-FLAP LANDING. AFTER LANDING AND GOING TO THE SHELTAIR FBO, WE POPPED THE CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR THE FLAPS, EXTENDED, EXAMINED, AND RETRACTED THE FLAPS. WE PROCEEDED TO DO 11 LANDINGS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AT KLAL WITH NO ISSUES. BEFORE WE EVER TOOK POSSESSION OF THE PLANE, A FLAP BRACKET WAS LOOSE AS WELL, IN WHICH WE INFORMED NEIL AND I DOCUMENTED ON MY PHONE. I TAXIED THE AIRCRAFT TO HIS HANGAR AT X50 AND WATCHED HIM TIGHTEN THE FLAP, AND I EXAMINED IT AND DEEMED THE AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHY. ANOTHER THING TO NOTE IS THE AIRCRAFT HAD AN UNUSUAL RIGHT BANKING TENDENCY THE ENTIRE TIME ERIK AND I FLEW IT, SO WE WOULD PUT IN SLIGHT LEFT RUDDER, AND THERE WAS NO ISSUE. WE WOULD ALSO SOMETIMES HAVE SOME ENGINE ROUGHNESS ON RUN-UPS WHEN DOING THE IDLE CHECK WITH CARB HEAT, BUT IT WASN’T ALWAYS CONSISTENT. I BELIEVE WE HAD A FLAP FAILURE BUT WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD THAT EVEN WITH NOSE-DOWN TRIM ADDED PRIOR TO THAT LANDING AT KLAL, THE PITCH-UP WAS UNUSUALLY AGGRESSIVE. I’VE DONE TRAINING WITH FULL FLAPS AND FULL POWER BEFORE PRACTICING SLOW FLIGHT IN THE LANDING CONFIGURATION (BUT NEVER DURING TAKEOFF), AND I’VE NEVER HAD THE AIRCRAFT PITCH UP AND FIGHT ME THAT STRONGLY. THERE MAY HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE WITH THE ELEVATORS ASWELL. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ERA26LA159](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA26LA159), Apr 5, 2026: Cessna 172M (N61972), Lakeland, FL, substantial damage, investigation ongoing From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.